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Try "rotate" instead of "turn". Maybe that will be less confusing. If you rotate the queen excluder (not a wood bound one, but a plastic or metal bound one) 90 degrees then you have a gap for the bees at each end of the frames. (you also have an inch or two of excluder protruding in the other direction) Now it is a "queen discourager". She CAN get through, but more than likely she will not. She usually doesn't spend much time on the end bars and probably won't find her way through. The bees will readily go through this and don't have to squeeze between the bars if they don't want to.

well I figured that, but ask to be sure you know? The other reason I asked is if you rotate, that will essentially leave an opening around the middle of the hive in some places wouldn't it? No issues with this?

If you use the plastic ones or metal bound ones (not wood bound ones) it will leave a small crack. The bees will attempt to fill it with propolis, but they would glue the boxes together anyway. It will add some ventilation. The space is too small for the bees to get through and doesn't cause any problems.

That's what I love about you guys; by meandering through a subject, more and more details pop out. Of course I have the wooden excluders. I'm nowhere near excluding yet but it's great to know this kind of stuff.

Ah yes, glued boxes. That's fun early in the morning when you're going to feed and the prop is nice and solidified. Thought I was going to tip the whole works this AM trying to pry the super off. They were NOT amused at my clumsiness.

How would it work if I just shortened some of the excluders I have? Like cut 2 inches off each end? Leaving the wood or metal frame all the way around.Seems it would be a neater way. Probasbly leave a bit in the center where the queen is most active?

I like the wood bound ones and I would just buy a plastic one. You could cut a plastic one off easily. Redoing the wood bound one would be more difficult. Also, sometimes you like to have a queen excluder and not just an discourager. For instance when you hive a package, using it as a queen includer is useful. (on the bottom board)

I do not cut any of mine in case I would like to use it another day. For full coverage.

You can also rotate it back to the normal use after the bees have started working the super. In this way you used it to bait the super more easily and then rotate back to not take the chance (although small) that the queen gets around it.

That "queen includer" is a good idea to remember.
I have a pile of queen excluders. Many more then I will use so I would rather remodel some then buy new. I kind of like "fixing" and making things.
I won't need them this year as I have solid supers of honey above the queens area. I doubt she will go up through the honey supers.

Another way to get the bees working through the excluder is to simply put the first honey super on top of the upper brood chamber. Let the bees get to work drawing the foundation or if using PermaComb, polishing and rimming the cells with wax. Then ensuring that the queen in NOT in the super, slide the excluder under it. I think that Honey-B-Healthy sprayed on the foundation or new plastic comb will accelerate this process.
Thanx.